Businesses have long used attraction boards to acquaint the public with their services or products. Such boards have a plurality of parallel horizontally oriented tracks adapted to receive replaceable figure panels. The replaceable figure panels have letters or numbers printed thereon, and are arranged in the tracks of the attraction board to spell out words and prices.
Typically, such attraction boards are supported by one or more vertical posts, or are affixed to the side of a building. Such mountings are satisfactory where there is sufficient open space for a free standing structure, or sufficient space on the wall of a building for supporting an attraction board. Many business establishments, however, cannot utilize either of the existing available mountings. For example, certain shopping centers have stores positioned in side-by-side relationship such that only the front of the store is visible to the public. Where the roof line or other features of the structure limit the available area which can be utilized for signage, the establishment may be required to place an attraction board within its front window. Such a location is unattractive and inhibits the full usage of the limited window space available to such establishments.
On many occasions, business establishments have exterior structures for supporting an awning, which adds to the attractiveness of the building. Such awnings can be printed with signage, but in the past, awnings have reduced the space available for an attraction board.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a mounting for an attraction board which would be attached to an outer wall of a building and usable for providing an awning.
Typical attraction boards provide for a plurality of tracks such that letters or numbers may be mechanically or electronically depicted on each of the tracks to form words and numbers. The alternative to an attraction board is a sign which may include both printed text and artistic material. Prior to the present invention, however, business establishments have had to elect between the use of an attraction board for which the text material may easily be changed, and an artistically appealing sign. The changing of the artistic material and text on a sign, however, is generally more extensive and time consuming than the changing of the text material on an attraction board.
It would also be desirable to provide an attraction board having a plurality of tracks for receiving print material thereon, and which is suitable for receiving a sign across the forward surface or face thereof. It would also be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for removably installing a display panel or sign across the forward surface of an attraction board such that signage may be easily positioned across the attraction board or removed therefrom.